Cure for Nightmares
by thehufflepuffgirl
Summary: When Harry decides to return to society, he is reunited with his friends. Seeing Draco wasn't on his plans. What happens when the past keeps getting in the way of the future? Will his nightmares disappear or will they stay forever? Will Draco be able to be free of his sentence, or will he forever suffer the consequences of his actions? A story that starts 3 months after the war
1. Chapter 1

This is a drarry fanfiction. It's starts 3 months after the war.

I don't own anything of the Harry Potter since it belongs to J. K. Rowling.

Hope you enjoy ;)

(I apologize for any mistake xD)

Chapter 1:

It's been 3 months since then, so why am I living on the same tent that I was when I was on the run with Ron and Hermione? Oh right…. I'm the savior. Everyone wants an autograph, or take a picture with me, to speak to me, to touch me, to worship me! I'm sick of it! Why can't I just be a normal person for once?! Even Ginny did that… At least here it's quiet. Lonely but quiet. No crowds. No press. No savior. Just the same Harry Potter that lived under the cupboard so many years ago.

"Isn't it time for you to return to civilization Harry?" - asked Hermione - "It's been 3 months. We miss you. Me and all of the Weasleys. Ginny feels awful about everything. She still loves you."

"What she said to me isn't something that I can forgive. I thought she knew me better than that."

"But…"

"Look Hermione, I miss you guys too, but here... I'm free from what everyone expects from me. They all want me to become an auror or the Minister of Magic! Right now, I couldn't care less about any of that. All I want is the peace and quiet that I never got since my parents died. I believe that I deserved at least that after the war."

"I get it Harry, and so does Ron, but we think that it's not healthy for you to be here, in the middle of nowhere, alone, with your nightmares…" - as Harry opened his mouth to deny that, Hermione said louder: - "Don't even try to lie to me Harry Potter! You look like you haven't slept in ages and THAT is due to the nightmares."

"They aren't always that bad. Besides, I'm not the only one with that problem and you know it!"

"True, but me and Ron… we have each other for support. You have no one since you broke up with Ginny. You can't be alone forever, Harry. Why don't you try and go once a week to The Three Broomsticks? It might be good for you."

"I can't promise you anything but I will think about it ok?"

"Thanks. That's great to hear. I have to go now. I'm meeting Percy today about a job interview in the Ministry."

"That's amazing 'Mione! Good luck! Give Ron a hug for me please." - said Harry as he hugged his best friend.

"Thank you. See you."

"Bye."

When Hermione disappeared, Harry picked up the book he had been looking at when Hermione arrived to his tend. It was the photo album that Hagrid had offered him, and since then he had added more photos of him with his friends and the Weasley family. Even though he hadn't seen most of them in the last few months, he still thought about them all, but because they reminded him of the war and the people that died for him, he couldn't face them.

His nightmares didn't help him since half of them where memories from the war and the other half were his friends blaming him for surviving when so many didn't and how that wasn't fair. The last ones were the worse.

Ron had suggest him to go to the same mind healer that he and Hermione were visiting. The only problem with that was the fact that someone would hear about it and tell the press that Harry Potter was crazy, and he didn't need more news about himself.

Maybe he should follow Hermione advice and go out for a bit. If he went to Hogsmeade he could probably meet Neville there since the last thing the heard about him was that he was learning from Professor Sprout in order to become a herbology teacher.

Harry then got up from the sofa and went to the shower. After, he cut his beard but not completely, just enough for him not to look like a homeless. He didn't do it all because he got used to it during the months on the run. As he finished dressing, he took his invisibility cloak and put it on his jacket pocket and vanished.

It was half past nine at night. Few people were on the streets so it was easy for Harry to get to the Three Broomsticks unnoticed. Once inside, he tried not to bring attention to himself and went straight to the bar asking for a butterbeer. He waited, and when he got it, he turns around and saw Luna sitting at a table on the far corner of the pub by herself.

"Hi Luna. Mind if I join you?" - he said as he approached her table.

"Oh, hi Harry. Of course not. Haven't seen you in a while. How have you been?"

"It depends on the day but normally I'm ok. What about you?" - Harry sat down in front of her and had a drink from his butterbeer.

"I could be worse but keeping my mind busy helps me. Me and my father have been rebuilding our home and also Neville as asked me for help to reconstruct Hogwarts. Both things help me. Actually, I'm waiting for him. Why don't you wait here for him too? I know that he will enjoy seeing you."

"I haven't been in public in a while so I came here hoping that I could meet him and catch up. Seeing you here is great as well, even though I was not expecting it."

"Harry! It's so good to see you! Where have you been? I asked Ron and Hermione but all they said was that you were trying to avoid the papers. Merlin, I missed you man." - Neville had just arrived to the pub and to their table. Harry got up and hugged his friend. He had almost forget how the other boy was taller than him.

"Sorry Neville. I just got sick of all the garbage the papers were writing about me and so I went underground for the last few months. What about you? Are you still working with Professor Sprout to become a teacher?"

"I am but mostly for now we have been reconstructing the castle. We have finished all the exterior walls and this week we started the floors and the interior walls. You could come and help us. An extra pair of hands is always welcome and since McGonagall is the new Headmistress I'm sure she will do everything in her power to keep the journalists out of Hogwarts."

"Don't get me wrong Neville, I would love to help rebuilding the castle but it brings a lot of memories that I would rather not relive if I can avoid it."

"Harry, I know that the war was hard for you, but you can't forget that you weren't the only one affected by it. I was kept prisoner for several months at the Malfoy Mansion with Mr. Ollivander. Neville and the others that stayed at Hogwarts were tortured by the Slytherin students and the Carrows." - Luna said with a soft voice.

"Besides Harry, Hogwarts may be almost destroyed now but by the time we finish, it won't be the same castle that we once knew. And you won't be by yourself, me, Luna, Seamus, Dean, Katie, Susan, Hannah and so many others. They might not be there every day but I'm sure you will enjoy seeing them, even if it's just for an hour a day."

"I can promise you Harry that you will not regret it."

"Thanks for your words but I'm still not comfortable with it though I will send a letter McGonagall about my situation, and then decide.

"If you do come let us know okay?" - Neville asked with a kind smile on his face.

"I will, don't worry. It's getting late so I'm going back home." - Harry got up from his chair, grabbed his jacket and before he left he said - "Sorry for interrupting your date. Have fun for me too okay?" - he winked at Neville and then left.

Arriving to the street, we walked a bit, just enough so that he could see what once was the majestic Hogwarts castle, the first place he could call home. After taking a last look at the castle he vanished.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

 _Dear Professor McGonagall_

 _I know that the rebuilding of Hogwarts is in progress right now and I would enjoy helping out as much as I can and for as long it's needed. I'm sure that you are aware that I haven't been in public for the past few months because of all the fuss the papers made about myself and the war. I hope you don't mind me for asking something from you, but I would deeply appreciate it if you could keep the press out of the castle while I'm there. Since you are the Headmistress, I thought that you wouldn't mind doing this favor for me._

 _I hope you understand my situation._

 _Best regards_

 _Harry Potter_

Even though he had written and send the letter to the Headmistress, he wasn't still sure that it was a good idea to go to Hogwarts. Although when he talked to Neville and Luna, and later Hermione and Ron, they all said that there weren't going to be any problems, since McGonagall would take care of the situation. Still, Harry was going to wait for the answer and then he would make the final decision.

Neither Ron nor Hermione were helping fixing the castle. Ron was most of his time with George, supporting him since Fred's death and also organizing the twins shop for his brother to go back to work so he could have a distraction. Hermione was busy trying to get a job in the ministry. The rest of the time, she would be making research about the rights of several magical species, like domestic elf, goblins and werewolves.

They already knew what they were going to do in the future. Everyone knew except Harry. Though he wanted to be an Auror, after the war, it just didn't seem right anymore. Something like politics was even worse for him. His only hope was that he would find what he wanted to do soon. Until then, he just had to be creative with his time.

Deciding that there was no point in waiting for the answer, since it would take at least a couple of hours for it to arrive at the Headmistress office, Harry prepared himself and went for a run in the forest. He had started doing it just for fun and to pass the time, but now it was a habit, so he would run from a half an hour to two hours, depending on the weather. Running allowed him to clear his mind and at the same time gain a bit of muscles, making him look more healthy than before, seeing that he had always been skinny.

Breathing the fresh air, stepping on the grass and earth, scaring some birds, Harry made a new path through the trees and bushes. When he got close to a small village, he turns around and made his way back to the tent. Seeing that there was a small bonfire near the tent, he got close and saw Ron, with two bottles of butterbeer, waiting for him.

"I was beginning to think that you had got yourself lost on the forest. Just so you know, I wouldn't go looking for you, since it's almost dark and I'm hungry." - said Ron with a smile on his face, giving one of the butterbeers to Harry.

"You just break my heart, Ron. Here I was, thinking that you would move hell and earth just to find me, and you say that? Merlin, I was even going to offer you a pizza for dinner, but now, I don't think you deserve it."

"Oh come on mate. I'm such a nice person. I'm sure you can forgive me for that."

"Yeah, right" - Harry summons the pizza and gave Ron a slice - "Here. Sorry. I didn't notice that it had got this late. How was your day?"

"I was on Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes most of the day, trying to get the shop cleaned up. Maybe tomorrow I will start to put the products on the shelves and help George with the new stuff that he's trying to create."

"How has he been? Has he been outside of the house?"

"There are better days than others but he still hasn't left the Burrow. Last week, when I finished reconstruct the shop, I tried to bring him there, however he didn't wanted to go. I think that he will need a lot more time to go to the shop. Nevertheless, when the shop is ready, I will open it and wait for him to be prepared to be there, no matter how much time it takes him."

"At least he started to create new pranks to the shop. That's good to know. As long he's not left alone, he will get better, it just going to take time. What about your mother?"

"She's doing her best not to be depressed mainly because of George, yet she's not the same person she was before Fred death, though that's not unexpected. We're all trying to move on."

"Your mother is an amazing woman. I'm sure that everyone will improve because of her strength and love for all of us."

"Yeah, I know. What about you? Besides running, what did you do?"

"Well, apart from running and sending a letter to McGonagall, my day was the same as always. Nothing new on my end."

"So you are going to help the others with the castle?"

"I don't know that yet, since I'm waiting for her answer, but if she says that there is no problem, than yes I'm going. It's not like I have anything else to do, and this will allow me to see Neville and everyone else regularly."

"It's about time for you to something with your life. Perhaps you will be able to find what you want to do in the future."

"Yeah, who knows? Maybe I will be lucky."

"Maybe. Sorry mate but I have to go, otherwise Hermione will get mad at me for not being with her when she goes to sleep. You know how it is right?"

"It's okay, don't worry. Go home and help her get some sleep, she looked exhausted when she visited me last time."

"I'm doing the best I can to help her. See you, Harry."

"I know that. See you."

And then Ron was gone. Seeing that he was tired, Harry put out the bonfire, cleaned the bottles and went to have a shower. When he was done, he turns off the lights and lay down to sleep. It wasn't long for him to be deep asleep.

 **I open my eyes. There's nothing for me to see, everything is pitch black. No sounds. No smells. There's only this cold that makes my soul shiver, as if it was expecting something dark to show up at any moment. Void is my company here. I don't know where I am.**

 **Suddenly, black transforms into red. Now, I'm standing on a stone floor, but something is wrong. After all, the red thing shouldn't be getting near me, nor it should be on walls, that only now he notice that existed. Looking up, there was an enchanted ceiling showing a cloudy sunrise.** **He had seen this ceiling before. This must be the Great Hall in Hogwarts.**

" **Harry...help...help us…"**

 **Turning around, he saw Molly on the floor. He tried to reach her, yet there was something blocking him. Looking down, he recognized the body of Fred. Viewing that, it was like light had entered his mind, reminding him of everything.**

 **No longer was it a red thing. It was blood from everyone that died on the war and on the final battle. Surrounding him, were the bodies of his friends, family, professors, students,... He couldn't see the floor anymore, because of all the bodies.**

" **It's your fault… you should have died when you were a baby…if you had… this wouldn't have happened... nobody ever loved you… not your muggles uncles… neither the ones that you consider your friends and family…" - the sound didn't come from anywhere but still, the voice was clear as if the person that was speaking, was right next to him. Only, there was nobody. Everyone was dead.**

" **I know it was my fault that so many died but I did my best to protect you all… I even sacrificed myself in order to be able to kill Voldemort..."**

" **You sacrificed yourself?! Don't make laugh. If you really did that, how do you explain that you are the only one still standing, when everyone else is lifeless at your feet?"**

" **I don't know. This wasn't how things were supposed to happen! How did it turn out like this? TELL ME! Please…" - there were tears running down on his face and his all body was shaking. He drooped down to his knees.**

" **It ended like this, because you were incapable to kill me." - dressed on his black clothes, Voldemort stood in front of Harry - "Now, it would be a pleasure to kill you… but I think that you will enjoy to live, knowing that you were responsible for everything that happen tonight."**

" **No… please... I beg of you to kill me too… I can't live with this despair and guilt…" - he couldn't speak louder than a whisper, however is words were crystal clear.**

" **Did you really think that I would do that, just because you asked me? How naive can you be? Since you asked me something like that, I will do something even better. I will enchant this room so that neither you nor these rotten bodies can leave this place, ever." - saying that, Voldemort turned around and exit the Great Hall waving his wand.**

" **No… Please don't do it… Please… PLEASE!"**

 **Harry, tried to run after Voldemort, but he was stuck. The bodies of Ron and Hermione were right in front of him. He couldn't go over their bodies. The door closed. There was a click and that was it.**

 **Harry was back to the dark room, but now he could feel every dead body around him, smell the putrefying odor coming from the dead and hear a whisper that was raising in volume,**

" **Your fault…"**

" **Stop it" - he put his hands on his ears trying to block the sounds.**

" **It's your fault!"**

" **No"**

" **We are dead because of you"**

" **I know. Please, just stop"**

" **You should be dead"**

" **Stop it!"**

" **YOUR FAULT"**

" **NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"You look like shit."

"Thanks Ron. Good morning for you too." - said Harry sarcastically.

"What happen? Couldn't sleep?"

"That, but also I had a nightmare so I wasn't able to fall back asleep. What about you? Shouldn't you be at the store by now?"

"Yeah but yesterday I forgot to tell you that mom wants you to come to the lunch on sunday. You're going right? Everyone will be there."

"I don't know if that will be a good idea."

"I have already told you that no one blames you for what happened to Fred. It's your decision. Think about it for the next few days ok? Mom will be very happy to see you again."

"Ok. Do you want something for breakfast? I can prepare you some food right now."

"No, don't worry about me. I had two breakfasts at home. I have to go. See you later Harry."

"Bye."

Grabbing a cup, Harry pour some coffee and in a bowl put cereals. Harry was able to buy food in a nearby muggle city, which made his life a lot easier than when they were hiding. Since there was no one controlling his movements, he could get money and have, either Ron or Hermione, change it to muggle money. Harry had to be grateful to his aunt for making him cook for them when he was younger. Thanks to that, he was able to cook almost anything. The days of starvation were long gone. Now, he only had to careful not to spend all of his money in food.

When he finished his meal, Harry took a shower, got dressed and exit the tent. He apparated to Andromeda and Teddy house, to visit them. It had been a week since he last visited his godson. Even though he was Teddy's godfather, he and Andromeda decided that it wasn't good for him to live with Harry, since he was always surrounded by reporters, lived in a tent and didn't have a job to bear the costs of caring for a child. It was Harry plan to eventually live with Teddy, but it was better for the boy to live with his grandmother until he solved his life.

He would spend time play with him, reading to him and telling stories of Tonks and Lupin. Though Teddy didn't yet speak or walk, whenever Harry was around, he wouldn't leave Harry side. He had started to learn to control his metamorphmagus powers, transforming to a baby Harry when he sees him, even though he couldn't sustain it for more than 2 minutes. Nevertheless, he was improving his control while he was only 5 months old.

"Hi teddy bear. How have you been? Did you miss me?" - Harry asked Teddy, picking him up and hugging him.

Teddy smiled, while transforming into Harry. Today, he had made his beard longer than Harry's, but still it was possible to understand that it was Harry.

"Well done, Teddy. You have become a master of metamorphose. I'm impressed."

"He adores mutating himself to look like you. He really looks up to you."

"Thanks Andromeda, but I'm just being the godfather that Sirius could barely be to me. Besides, I like him a lot too. What would you want to do today, sweetheart?"

Spending the day entertaining his godson with sparkles from his wand, doing transfiguration on small objects to make them look like animals, making him a bath, then putting him to bed for his nap, Harry was exhausted.

"Here Harry. Thank you for coming today. Teddy was really happy to have you here with him."- Andromeda handed him a cup of tea and some cookies. They all had lunched together, but now was almost 5pm.

"I'm more than happy to spend time with him. He's an innocent child with no dark memories. He will only understand why his parents aren't here in a few years."

"I know. I hope when that time comes, he will be already living with you. Have you made any progress on your situation?"

"Unfortunately no, but I meet with a few of my friends and they suggested me that I help to reconstruct the Hogwarts castle, while I don't find what I what to do in my future. I have sent a letter to professor McGonagall, to ask her if it was possible to help without the media knowing."

"That's not a bad idea. After all, it will make you spend time outside your tent and spend it with your friends. Yet the problem remains. You need to find a job Harry."

"Apparently, helping the rebuilding of the castle will show me what to do with my life. However, I don't think becoming a teacher, or a builder is what I want to be in the future, and those are the only things that I could possibly want to become from this experience."

"Who knows, Harry? From what I heard from Lupin, in your 5th year, you teached a lot of kids defending themselves, right? Didn't you enjoy that?"

"That was different. It only happened because Umbridge was teaching Defense Against The Dark Arts, though you can't called what she did teaching. Yet if I did become a teacher, there's no way that I could be as good as Lupin was."

"You're being too hard on yourself. Don't take that option of your list just because you think you won't be good enough. I'm sure that if you wanted, you could teach anything that you want in Hogwarts."

"The only things that I could teach would be Defense Against The Dark Arts and Muggle Studies. Everything else has already a very capable teacher, and even if it didn't, I'm not as good in those as I am on the ones that I said."

"You would be a great Defense teacher. You should seriously consider it."

"How about I teach the first year students to fly and he referee for the school Quidditch games? That would be different than a fully teaching job." - said Harry with a joking smile all over his face.

"If you want to do that, then go for it. It could be fun for you." - Andromeda answers him seriously.

"I just remember that, but maybe it's not a bad idea. I will try to find some more information about it to see if it's really something that I would like to do."

"If you need help, just say ok? I think my daughter left some quidditch books on her old room."

"Thanks Andromeda. It's getting late so I should be going. I'm glad to know that Teddy has a caring and comprehensive grandmother like you. I'm grateful for that."

"Don't worry about it Harry. I will always be here for whatever you need me for. Have a good night Harry."

"Good night Andromeda. Give Teddy a kiss for me will you?"

"Of course."

Leaving her place, he walked for a few minutes under the starry sky, thinking about his conversation with Andromeda. He had made that comment as a joke, though now it didn't feel like a joke at all. He would have to research it and ask Ron and Hermione about it. They should know a lot more than him about this.

Arriving to his tent, he saw a brown owl waiting with a letter for him. It was similar to the ones that belonged to Hogwarts. Taking the letter and giving a bit of bread to the owl, his suspicions were correct. It was Professor McGonagall answer.

 _Dear Mr. Potter_

 _I'm glad to hear that you want to take part in the reconstruction of the castle. I was starting to get worry about you but reading your letter I understand why you have been living isolated._

 _Because of your concerns, I rearranged the protections around the castle in order to make it impenetrable to the press. This way, everyone taking part on this project can directly apparate in the castle. No one else is allowed to do this without my knowing._

 _I hope that I made your concerns about the situation disappeared._

 _Expecting to see you soon._

 _Professor McGonagall_

 _Headmistress of Hogwarts_

"I guess I no longer have anything else stopping me from going there and help. l should start tomorrow. No more excuses."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

"It's been more than three months since the last time I saw it. If it weren't for the destruction surrounding it, nobody could say that a battle happened here. Nobody would say that almost one hundred people, between friends and foes, died that night…"

Harry had apparated a few minutes ago in front of the gate of Hogwarts, but instead of walking through the gate and gardens of the castle, he had stayed admiring what was once his first home. Even though it was possible to see where the reconstruction had already been made, even from the distance that Harry was, it's was obvious that there was still a lot to do before the castle was ready to welcome back his students.

Opening the gate, he walked for a bit looking all around him, as if he was expecting for Death Eaters and dementors to suddenly appear in front of him and attack him. At the same time, he was doing his best to block all of the memories from the battle, but that wasn't easy because everywhere he looked, there were always images of dead bodies, blood, fire, people running, screaming, dyeing,...

Suddenly, rather than seeing Hogwarts as it presently was, all his eyes could see were the flames and smoke that surrounded the castle during the battle, were the walls and roofs destroyed and scattered throughout the grounds, was the quidditch pitch burning and disintegrating to something unrecognizable, was the forbidden forest being ravaged by the beasts that Voldemort brought with him,...

Shaking his head to clear his mind of these memories, Harry continued to walk to the front gate, yet every step closer was getting harder to take. Blocking the memories was starting to be something impossible to do… There were screams from the crowd protecting Hogwarts from when he pretends to be dead…

"Harry..."

There were laughs from the Death Eaters and Voldemort mocking his death and Neville speech…

"Harry."

There was a pure scream of rage from Voldemort when Harry showed everyone that he wasn't dead yet…

"Harry!"

There were spells flying everywhere, hitting anything that moved…

"HARRY! Can you hear me?" - standing beside him was Neville, with his face full of worry and concern for him. He had shaken Harry's shoulder to get his attention.

"Neville? What happen? When did you get here?" - Harry's voice was weak, his skin was white as snow and only now did he noted that he had fallen on his knees and that his hands were covering his hears.

"Harry. Bloody hell! You scared me. Professor McGonagall sensed you when you arrived, but since you were taking a long time to get to the Great Hall, she asked me to check upon you. When I saw you on the ground screaming I thought you were being tortured. What happen?"

"I'm sorry Neville. I didn't know that things were going to be this hard. Had I known that simply walking to the castle would bring so many memories that would incapacitate me from reaching my goal, I wouldn't have agreed to participate in the reconstruction in the first place. Please tell Professor McGonagall that I'm not ready to do this." - there were silent tears running down his face.

"I know that it isn't easy to be back here after everything that took place three months ago. It's not easy to anyone, but those who decided to come here and help, they know that they're not alone on their grieve and that if they need to talk to someone, they can and should do it. We have reach a point of trust between all of us here that, during the afternoon break, we will all get together in the Great Hall and talk about what happen, about our nightmares, about those who were lost in the war. You're not alone Harry. Please understand that we can help you. It might take some time for you to be able to talk, but I think that if you listen to the others it will help you too."

Neville got up and held out a hand. Harry looked up and saw a reassuring smile on his friend face. Accepting his hand, Harry got on his feet and hugged Neville.

"Now let get going into the castle. Have you had breakfast yet? The elves are still serving it if you want to eat something."

"Thanks but I already ate before I came here, though I accept a cup of coffee. Who else is here today?"

"Well, I know that Luna and Hagrid are here because I was with them before I came to get you. Seamus and Dean said that they would be here around noon."

"Okay. I didn't want to see a lot of people on the first day so it's fine."

Looking around him, Harry saw that the Great Hall was almost exactly the same as before the war. It was possible to notice the new walls, floor and pillars since these areas had a lighter color to them than the older parts. Another difference was that instead of having four tables for the each team, there was only one. The ceiling had the same enchantment as in the past, showing today a clear blue sky, proof that it was a summer day.

"There's only one table now because there isn't that many people here that would require more tables." - Neville said, giving voice to Harry thoughts.

"Mr. Potter. I was starting to think that you had regretted your decision to come here." - McGonagall had appeared behind them.

"Actually professor, to be honest, after I got here I was about to turn back and go home. I'm sorry."

"Nobody would have criticized you if you had done that. Neville, please show him around and tell him what the plans for each areas of the castle are."

"Yes, of course professor. Harry, let's get you your coffee and then let's get down to business."

Reaching the table, the boys served themselves of coffee and some cookies. Having notice that Luna was observing them, Harry waved and gave her a small smile. When they got what they wanted, they turned around and were almost out of the Great Hall when they heard McGonagall speak again.

"Potter… It's good to see you."

"It's good to see you too professor."

Leaving behind them the smell of food and the sound of conversations, they started to walk through the castle with Neville explain what has missing to do in each area, what improvements McGonagall and the rest of the teachers wanted to do in some places. Anywhere he looked, Harry saw scars of the battle and the memories kept flowing in his mind, but having the presence of Neville beside him and hearing him talking, helped Harry keep his mind clear of another attack like the one earlier that day.

"Even though it was decided that last year of school would be eliminated from records since no one learned what they should've had, the professors still haven't decided if they are going to allow to exist a 8th year for us, or if we are going to be 7th years again. Everyone else is going to stay in the same year, which means that this year the first years is going to be a lot bigger than normal. I think that they will contact every 8th year to know how many will come back and only after knowing that, they will make their decision."

"Are going to come back Neville?"

"I don't know that yet. Right now, when there's time, Professor Sprout is helping me to become a teacher in the future. I need to speak with her before I make my mind about it. What about you?"

"I was speaking to Andromeda yesterday and she gave me advice about what I should be doing in the future. The conversation with her granted me with an idea about it, but I need to speak with McGonagall to see what can be done about it. So I'm basically in the same situation that you are."

"I see. Well, when you talk to her and when you know your answer let me know ok? Now, about this room, the reconstruction of it has been completed. Previously, it was just an empty old classroom, but the idea is to make it like a common room for everyone no matter the house they belong to. Everyone has friends in another house, but beside the Great Hall, the library, the old classrooms and the gardens, they can't meet anywhere else. If you want to study or play games with someone from another house, this will be the perfect place to do it. Do you want to see it?"

"Yeah sure. That's a good idea. Sometimes, you just want to relax and have a conversation by a fireplace with someone that's not from our house and you can't, because there wasn't a comfortable place to do it. I suppose that it is a huge room since it was chosen for this?"

"See for yourself."

Neville opened the door and entered, followed by Harry. The first thing that he notices was that this room was in fact huge. It still didn't have decorations but there were big windows, with a clear view of the black lake and the new quidditch pitch, and also a fireplace as big as the one in the Great Hall. The walls and floor were made of a dark wood, that combined with the windows and fireplace, gave the room a cozy feeling.

He had approached one window and was looking to the quidditch pitch, seeing the difference between the old and new one. The new looked like a muggle stadium with sport benches as high as the goal posts. It was a lot cooler than the previous.

Then, behind him, the door opened. Turning around to see who had entered, he saw three men: two of them were clearly Aurors and they were surrounding the third man. It took Harry a few seconds to recognize him, but standing in front of him, was none other than Draco Malfoy.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

"Hey Harry. When you're ready to take a break, you can go and have lunch. The elves have already served the food."

"Thanks Neville. I will just finish these walls then I will go. Have you eaten?"

"Yeah. I needed to talk to McGonagall so we were having lunch while talking."

"Ok. I'm almost finished here."

"Just don't forget to eat something before starting your afternoon work."

"I know, don't worry. See you later."

"See you."

This was the third day that Harry had been doing volunteer work at the castle. After the tour from Neville, Harry chose to remodel the library since it didn't bring him memories of the war. Just thoughts about the amount of hours spent studying and researching for the exams and homework in the previous years. Though this place didn't need much reconstruction, there were walls and some parts of the floor with cracks that needed to be fixed. Harry was almost finished with this part of the work, and in the afternoon he would start rebuilding the furniture, since the bookcases, tables and chairs were burned during the fire. Thankfully, almost no books were lost because of the preservation spells, but they had been scattered throughout the library and would need to be put in order according to their theme and author. Harry knew that Hermione would love to do what he was doing, but he also knew that she would most likely be too distracted by the books to do what was necessary.

Having completed his morning task, Harry left the library and went to the Great Hall. While on his way, he saw people working in their areas and also people exchanging ideas about how to fix something. The fact that Professor Flitwick was teaching spells to fix what was needed also helped everyone. Harry himself had to learn a few spells from him, to be able to rebuilt the library. Arriving to the Great Hall, he could see that there weren't many people eating at the moment, and the ones that were, he barely knew them, having only seen them in classes or in the last few days in the castle. Then, on the far corner of the table, Draco Malfoy was seated alone eating, without the Aurors around him. Deciding that he would probably be a better company than the others that were on the Great Hall, Harry went to where he was.

"Do you mind if I seat here?"

Hearing his words, Malfoy lift his head and looked at Harry. He stared at him for several moments with a blank expression and in the end just moved his shoulders and lower his head again, as if he didn't care what the other boy did.

"Thanks." Harry seated and started filling his plate with food. None of them said anything and looked at each other. "How is your area going? Have you finished the decoration?" Malfoy was the person in charge of the all houses common room.

The only response from the other boy was nodding with his head and nothing else. "You already finished? That's great. Have you already chosen your new area of work?" This time, he shaked his head.

 _Well, this conversation is going amazingly well. Didn't expected it to be this… what's the word?... Weird?... Strange is better. But then what did I expected? He can't talk._

"Look Malfoy, I'm sorry that I couldn't help you and your mother more during the trials. Your sentences were a bit unfair. Both of you saved my life, but still your punishments… Your father deserved his life sentence in Azkaban. But to expel your mother from the country without ever being able to return and have her every movement controlled... I thought that she would be in house arrest without use of magic."

The expression in Malfoy's face was none other than surprise. Harry continued to talk has if he didn't notice the other boy face.

"And you, even though we spent every moment together either arguing or battling each other, you still saved my life and my friend's life when we were captured and sent to your mansion. Having to sleep in a jail cell at the Ministry and not being able to do spells that aren't basic without the presence of an Auror, are nothing compared with the fact that you can't communicate verbally with anyone until your wand forgives you for your crimes... I didn't even knew that was possible!" Harry's voice had increased in volume by the time he finished talking. The only thing that he couldn't understand about Malfoy sentence was the last part. Why would the Ministry decide such thing for him?

Harry then noticed that Malfoy had grabbed a bit of parchment and ink and was writing something. He waited and when he was finished, Malfoy gave him the parchment. In it was written:

 _You and your friends saved my life more than once during the war. You don't own me anything. As for the wand thing, thanks for giving it back to me, but if you want to understand about how a wand can forgive its wizard, you should ask Mr. Ollivander, since he was the one that suggested it to the Ministry. I deserved every part of my sentence and the fact that it wasn't the same as my parents was thanks to you. Thanks for caring about my mother, but she's probably the happiest of all of us, since now she has the chance to travel the world like she wanted to do since she was young._

Harry smiled when he read the last part. At least not everything is bad. About Mr. Ollivander he would have to ask Bill and Arthur for information, because as far as he knew the wand maker hadn't return to his shop in the Diagon Alley. Since he was invited for lunch at the Weasley's house in two days, might as well take that chance to talk with them there.

After that, no one said anything else, so they finished their lunches in silence. Then the Aurors returned and escorted Malfoy to his new area. Left alone at the table, Harry got up as well and went back to the library for his afternoon work. Even though the next day was Saturday, the castle would be open for those that wanted to be there, but Harry would be busy shopping for food and later he would visit Teddy and Andromeda again, so he would only be back on monday.

When it was almost six o'clock, Harry returned to his tent, having said goodbye to Neville and Luna, and started preparing dinner for him but also Ron and Hermione. They normally just talked about their days and concerns, and they would play games. Occasionally they would talk about the war but only in rare occasions. It wasn't a taboo subject, yet they avoided it.

"Hey Harry, how are you?" Ron's voice reached Harry as well as the sound of his and Hermione footsteps.

"You're already here? I was expecting you a bit later. I just started preparing dinner."

"It's ok Harry, don't worry. What are you cooking?"

"I'm doing lasagna and apple pie for dessert. Do you want some butterbeer while you wait for the food?"

"Lasagna? What's that?"

"It's an italian pasta dish, you will like it Ron don't worry. Here is you butterbeer. So, how is it going on the castle Harry?"

"It's going well. Today I started remaking the bookshelves and maybe on monday I will be able to finished that part, so if you want, you can come and help me organize the books Hermione. You're interested?"

"I would love to, but I can't promise you that I will be able to go next week. I will let you know if I'm going or not later ok?"

"Yeah. What about you guys? What have you been doing this last few days?"

"My routine hasn't changed much. I'm still working in George shop, but it's almost ready to reopen it, though I'm sure that George isn't near ready to be there all the time again."

"I got the job at the Ministry, so I have been working there with some help from Percy. Up until now I have been doing a lot of paperwork, but I needed to start from somewhere if i want to reach my goal of giving rights to the elves and other creatures."

"That's great knew from both of you. I wasn't expecting anything else from you Hermione, congratulations. Ron, when you have a date for the reopening of the store, let me know and I will go help you out. Now, let's eat while the pie is on the oven."

They ate dinner while talking about other subjects. The conversation went from their days, to Teddy, the Weasleys, and Hermione parents, then to Hogwarts and Quidditch. Now, Hermione was reading a book about wizarding laws, while Harry and Ron played wizard chess. To no surprise, Ron had already won three times before the clock showed that it was midnight.

"It's this late already? We should be going, Ron."

"Yeah, you're right. Then, Harry, have fun tomorrow with Teddy."

"I will, don't worry. Oh, by the way, tell your mother that I will go have lunch at your place this sunday ok?"

"You will? Awesome! Then see you on sunday. Bye Harry"

"See you Ron, Hermione. Thanks for coming."

"Of course we would come, we're your friends Harry, don't forget it. Goodbye."

And with that, they left. Leaving the cleaning for the next day, Harry went to bed.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Having spent his Saturday morning catching up on his sleep, Harry then finished the small portion of lasagna that wasn't eaten in the previous dinner, and went to Andromeda and Teddy house. He stayed there for the afternoon playing with his godson and taking care of him, while Andromeda was at the Diagon Alley for a much needed shopping. When she returned home, she insisted on Harry having dinner at her house. Teddy had been sleeping for a long time when Harry finally went to his tent.

After a quick shower, Harry grabbed a book from his small collection, and lied down on his bed reading. He had gained the habit of reading before going to sleep, in order to relax his mind and minimize the odds of having nightmares. It didn't work every night, but it was an improvement to the days after the war, when he barely slept more than 4 hours a week. It had been another suggestion of Hermione and he was glad to have worked, even if partially. Right now he was reading about travelling experiences both in the magic and muggle worlds. After all, Harry had never left England so it wasn't surprising that he wanted to explore new countries and cultures. He had even started a list of cities that he wanted to go when the opportunity came. However, he was exhausted and eventually he fell asleep with the book in his chest.

 **Silence. Darkness. Cold. Wet. Exhaustion. Hungry. Emptiness. Fear. Solitude. Nothing else existed. Only those words. What do they mean? What is this place?**

 **I walk. I stop. Nothing new. I continue to move forward. I stop again. I look around. Everything remains the same. I run. Run. More running. I speed up. Continue to run. I'm out of breath. I stop once again.**

 **Silence. Darkness. Cold. Wet. Exhaustion. Hungry. Emptiness. Fear. Solitude.**

 **Am I moving? Did I move at all? I'm exhausted. Where am I?**

 **I scream at the top of my lungs. I wait. No answer.**

 **Who am I? No one. Nobody.**

" **Harry"**

BANG! Harry woke up startled by the sudden noise. Quickly he grabs his glasses and wand and got up looking for signals of intrusion. Having found nothing in and outside his tent, he went back to the bed, noticing that the book he had been reading a few hours before was on the floor in an odd position. Remembering that he had slept with it, and that it had most likely fallen to the ground during his dream, he picks it up and put it on his bedside table.

Looking outside, Harry could see the sun starting to rise, meaning that he would had to get up and start his morning routine, before the scheduled lunch at the Weasley's, in few hours. He knew that he couldn't get a proper nap in that time, so he got up again, put his running clothes and sneakers, and went for a very early running exercise. The forest was dark, cold and almost completely silent at that hour of the day however, after 15 minutes the sunlight reached the trees, slowly changing the forest to a light, warm place full of life. By the time Harry arrived at his tent again, night was gone and a rare clear sky day had appear. He took a shower, got dressed and prepared a light breakfast, anticipating a gigantic lunch in which he would eat far too much food for his comfort.

Bringing with him a cup with strong coffee in it, he sat in a deck chair, drinking it and looking at the horizon. He loved doing this because it brought him a feeling of peace that nothing or nobody, except Teddy, could give him since the war. He could sit there and completely forget everything that tormented him in his nightmares. If he could, he would stay the whole day like that, but he had a responsibility with Teddy, a responsibility he is glad to have, since it was a prove to him that future generations won't have to live in fear of a mad man, like he had.

Harry looked at his right wrist where the Fabian Prewett watch was. It was almost noon, so he got up, washed the coffee cup, raised his protections around the tent and apparated to the Burrow. He was just outside the property, with a small metal gate between him and the front gardens. He knew that the Weasley's still had powerful protections around the house, so the moment he crosses the gate, they would be alerted to his presence.

Harry closed his eyes, took several deep breaths and relaxes his mind. Feeling less stressed, he smiles and opened the gate, entering the garden.

"Mom, Harry's here. Hey mate, how are you?"

"I'm great today, and you? Hi Hermione"

"Don't bother with Hermione, she has been reading that book since she got here 2 hours ago and barely said anything other than 'I have to finish this book today'. She should finished it in an about an hour, then she will socialize like a normal person."

"Like a normal person? Dude, you're dating. I'm not sure you should be saying that, even if she's not listening. She might blackmail you for that." - Harry was laughing because he could see that Ron had gone paler with his last sentence.

"Yea, now that you mention it, she will probably blackmail me with no more sex for who knows how many days, just for that comment. I need to be more careful otherwise the lingerie that I offered her last week will never see the daylight again since that amazing night where we did…"

"STOP! I don't want to know about your sex life with Hermione. I'm happy that things have been working between you two. She has been living here with you right? She's not at her parents' house correct?"

"Yea, she's living here, sleeping with me in my room. She doesn't know exactly where her parents are, only that they're in Australia, but she's trying to find them. As soon as she has more information, I'm going with her to Australia to bring them back."

"At least they're alive. Let me know if I can help you in anyway ok? She will be happier knowing that her parents back at their house. And the shop? Do you have an opening date?"

"Of course Harry, thanks. I'm finally done with the shop, so I talked with George and we decided to have the reopening this week on Wednesday. I'm trying to convince him to at least be there for a few minutes but I doubt that he will go. I informed the Prophet about the reopening, so I'm expecting a full house. Maybe having the store full of clients again, will help him remember the good memories he made with Fred there."

"I will be there on Wednesday helping you, so don't worry about it. I'm sure George will remember the purpose of the shop when he sees kids making pranks using his products, like he and Fred used to do in Hogwarts."

"Everyone, lunch is ready. Come to the table before the food gets cold."

"Great, food's ready! 'Mione come on, you can finish the book after eating."

"Actually Ron, I just finish it, and by the way, I'm a normal person who socializes with her friends, so for that comment, you are grounded until I decide otherwise. Hi Harry, sorry I didn't answer to you before." - Hermione got up from the grass she was seated on, closed the book, hugged Harry and went inside the house.

"I told you should be more careful with what you say to her Ron." - Harry was having a hard time trying not to laugh at Ron's expression, so he followed Hermione, leaving behind a terrified Ron.

Lunch occurred as normal as Harry had hoped, with no problems besides the looks that Ginny sent his way, looks that screamed that she wanted to talk to him again. Remembering the last talk they had together, Harry decided to ignore her and focus on the conversations around him. Ron, Charlie and Bill were discussing the last Quidditch game of the Chudley Cannons, were they had lost with a difference of 130 points to the other team. Molly, Arthur and Ginny were discussing her last year in Hogwarts. George was eating without paying attention to anyone. Percy and Fleur were asking him how the reconstruction of Hogwarts was going, what area was he working on, if professor McGonagall already had a deadline, and other questions, that even though Harry didn't mind answering, he was getting a bit tired of it. Thankfully, Hermione intervene when they were talking about the library to say she was going to the castle on Tuesday to help him with the books.

After lunch, while everyone was helping in some way cleaning the kitchen and dishes, Harry called Arthur and Bill to the garden, so that he could talk with them with more privacy. When they were outside, Harry asked:

"What can you tell me about a wand forgiving a wizard? How does it work? Are there any records of something like that happening in the past?"

"Honestly, I had never heard of it before Ollivander suggested it during the trial of Draco Malfoy. I'm almost certain that up until that moment, no one in the Ministry had heard of it. That's the reason why it took longer than normal to give Draco his sentence. We had to understand how that worked, what were the consequences to him, how could a wand forgive its wizard, and so many other questions that Ollivander did his best to explain to everyone."

"I remember an old lady talk about something similar to this when I was working in Egypt. Apparently there's a rare book, that was published several centuries ago which speaks about a man who committed horrible crimes but there weren't physical evidences that linked him to them, so his wand suddenly didn't worked properly and the man no longer was able to talk. The lady that I met didn't know anything more, except the name of that book, Ignotum Magicae Incantatores. The book is in latin, so it's hard to read if you are able to find it, and although the title in english can be translated to something like Magic Unknown to Wizards, the book was never publish in our language."

"The best way for you to understand how this magic work Harry, is for you to talk with Ollivander directly. I never heard of the book Bill just mention now, but since it's so old and rare, the best place for you to have a chance of find it, is in very old libraries or bookstores."

"I was told to talk to him directly as well, but according to what I know, his shop is still closed. Do you know where can I find him?"

"He lives on the floor above the store. He hasn't been seen in public for a while, because he is helping the Ministry to identify the wands that were taken from the muggleborn wizards and witches, by Umbridge during the war, and returning them to their rightful owners if they are still alive. Just knock on his door and you should be able to talk to him."

"Thanks Arthur, Bill. I really appreciate your help."

"You're welcome Harry. You want to know more about this because of Draco Malfoy right?"

"Yeah, I met him in the castle, and we talked for a while, but I can't help the feeling that I should try to help him. That's why I'm trying to find a way to at least make it easier for him to communicate with others."

"I understand Harry, but you can't change his sentence. If you need anything more you know where you can find us Harry. You are always welcome to our house, since me and Molly consider you as our son as well."

"I know Arthur. I'm grateful for it. You're all the family I didn't had the opportunity to have. Thanks."

"We know Harry." - Mr. Weasley hugged him and Bill smiled at him, and together, they went inside again and joined the rest of the family.

Harry stayed outside, thinking about what the two men had said, and decided to visit Ollivander the next morning before going to the castle. Hopefully, he would be at home so that Harry could talk to him.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

It was barely morning when Harry got out of his tent and went for his running routine. It had rained during the night, so the forest floor was wet, muddy and slippery however Harry still had decided to run. He enjoys the smells that the forest has after a storm, though he couldn't begin to describe them. He just knew he loved those smells.

Harry was almost to the point where he would turn back and return to the tent, when it started to rain again. Even though it wasn't raining that much, Harry still pick up his pace to avoid running when the rain would be at its strongest. It wasn't even 30 minutes after it began, the rain got stronger and Harry was getting his clothes and running shoes wetter by the minute, and his glasses were foggy to the point that Harry was barely able to see anything. He wasn't surprised when the mud got the better of him, and made him fall face down on the ground. Nevertheless, he got up, cleaned his glasses the best he could and ran the last kilometer to his tent.

Finally inside, he went straight to the shower and stood there until he stopped shivering from the cold. Hopefully, he would be able to avoid getting sick otherwise he wouldn't hear the end of it from Hermione, and he really wasn't in a mood for a lecture from her. Steeping out of the shower, he dried himself, and putted some warm clothes. He started the kettle, prepared his breakfast, and ate while hearing the rain outside. Soon enough, he was ready to leave the tent. He apparated to Diagon Alley and, even though it wasn't raining that much, he still used the _Impervius_ charm to protect him from the water.

At the end of the road, he saw the wand shop. Hopping that Mr. Ollivander was home, he knocked on his doorbell. He waited for a few seconds until he repeated the gesture. Then, he heard noises from inside the shop, wood floors cracking and steps, until the door was opened, and Mr. Ollivander was standing in front of him.

"Mr. Potter. How are you sir? What can I do for you?"

"Good morning, Mr. Ollivander. I hope I'm not disturbing you this morning, but I was wandering if I could ask you some questions about a specific part of Draco Malfoy sentence."

"Oh, you're referring to the wand forgiveness of Mr. Malfoy actions, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Well, come in. It's could outside, so let's talk upstairs. Would you like something to eat or drink sir?"

"If it isn't too much trouble, I would like a cup of tea."

"Don't worry about me Mr. Potter. I may look like an old man, but I still have a few more years left in me, and it isn't preparing a cup of tea that is going to take me those."

Harry smiled. He sat on one of the sofas in the small living room, and looked around. He could see some pictures of what seemed to be Mr. Ollivander's ancestors, and several shelves with books about wand making, wood properties, varieties of wand cores know to the wizarding world, and many other subjects that he wasn't sure what they were. There was also a desk filled with papers, which Harry assumed were documents about the muggleborns that lost their wands due to Umbridge.

"Here's your tea Mr. Potter. Would you like some milk or sugar?"

"Sugar please. Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. So, tell me Mr. Potter, what do you know about wands forgiving wizards?"

"To be honest sir, I didn't even knew that was possible, so I don't have any knowledge about it."

"It's ancient magic, with very little number of cases reported throughout the history, so it's not a surprise that you didn't know about it Mr. Potter. Even between wand makers, it's not common knowledge. To put it simply, a wand can only forgive its wizard, when the wizard has forgiven himself."

"I don't understand sir. How does the wand know if its owner committed a crime and is in need of forgiveness? How is it possible for the wand to affect the wizard without his order? For example, in Malfoys case he is unable to speak until his wand allows him to."

"You need to remember Mr. Potter that a wand is an extension of the wizard that owns it, so the wand can… let's say feel, through its magic the mental state of the wizard. Even though it may seem impossible, the wands have life in themselves. I'm sure you can remember something that your wand did that you can't explain. If I'm not mistaken you asked me about what happen during your escape from Privet Drive, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"You need to understand that the wizard doesn't need to commit a crime for the wand to behave like this. Otherwise, anyone who committed a crime, no matter how small would be affected by their wands. It only happens when the wizard feels that what he has done is so unforgivable to the point that the wand becomes aware of how the wizard sentiments. That's when the ancient magic takes place. Most of the known cases say that the wizards became unable to speak, and their magic weaker, but there were a few reports of wizards that lost their magic completely, others that lost all of their memories and magic, others where their bodies turned into something that wasn't human. It's the wand that decides how to affect the wizard."

"This magic would have made it so much easier to destroy Voldemort, but he would never regret anything he did. Well, he's gone so never mind. How can this magic be broken?"

"It depends only on the wizard affected. To put it simply, the wizard needs to accept whatever it was that put him in that situation, needs to be forgiven by those directly affected by it, but more importantly he needs to forgive himself for it. Only then will the magic be lifted."

"I see. But how is it possible that this magic only took effect during Malfoy's sentence?"

"That's not what happened. The magic was already affecting Mr. Malfoy before his trial. I suspect that his magic became weaker several months previous. I believe that hearing what he was accused of was the last thing that the wand needed to fully active its magic. Right now, the level of magic that Mr. Malfoy has is considerably lower than normal, but has remained stable since he became unable to speak. Now, he only needs to break its magic. It's going to take a long time and patience, but I'm confident that he will overcome this."

"Thank you for taking the time to explain this subject to me sir. I really appreciate it. Please let me know if I can help you in anyway in the future."

"Don't worry about it Mr. Potter. I'm just glad that I was able to help. You are on your way to Hogwarts correct?" – Mr. Ollivander got up from the sofa where he was sited. Harry also got up, putted the tea cup on the coffee table and grabbed his jacket.

"Yes sir. I'm helping the staff and the other students to rebuild it."

"It's good to know that everyone got together to restore Hogwarts to its former glory."

"Hopefully, there will be no need to rebuild it again in the next decades."

"Let's hope so."

"Once again, thank you Mr. Ollivander." – Harry was already outside of the shop, with his waterproof charm on.

"You're welcome. Could you just pass a message for me Mr. Potter?"

"Of course."

"Please remind Mr. Malfoy that even though he can't speak, doesn't mean he can't talk or do magic. Have a nice day Mr. Potter."

"Thank you. Good day sir."


End file.
